Did Junior's Cal U Debut Just Confirm A New Grown-ish Spinoff?
Junior Johnson made his official Cal U debut last Wednesday on Freeform’s Grown-ish season 5 premiere, which may have been a soft landing for a possible Grown-ish spinoff. Season 4’s graduation-themed finale marked the end of an era, as Zoe and her peers said their goodbyes to the four walls they once called home. However, it set up a mysterious season 5 as it was unclear what direction the show would take. Since Junior’s arrival to Cal U campus grounds in Grown-ish season 5, however, the show seems to have found a new star to continue its legacy.
Grown-ish season 5 centers its first episode around Junior's college experience, indicating that the show would finally decenter Zoe's life and import a new main attraction — her brother from the parent show, Black-ish. In episode 1, the audience sees Junior suffer an existential crisis, wondering if his Cal U enrollment was a wise decision. Later in the episode, he ditches his new friends to join Zoe and her friends at their off-campus all-white party. This contrasts sharply with the community Zoe built during her time as the show’s star and may mean that Junior, unlike his sister, is a lone wolf.
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The bathroom scene featuring Junior and Kiela shows Junior's simultaneously laid-back and bold personality in contrast to Zoe's character. This indicates that Grown-ish season 5 and subsequent releases will give life to the show's theme song — "watch out, world, I'm grown now." Zoe, who moved to New York after graduation, takes on a senior role on the show, flying down on a whim to provide emotional support to her brother as he settles into college at her alma mater, Cal U. She also shows more growth in this season, acting as Aaron's backbone, as he
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